456 Bags of Human Remains Found Near 2026 World Cup Stadium
Concerns are growing ahead of next summer's World Cup after hundreds of bags of human remains were found near Akron Stadium in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
The World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Akron Stadium scheduled to host four group-stage matches.
Among those fixtures will be Mexico's second group game, which will be confirmed on Friday when the World Cup draw takes place.
The stadium, which is home to Chivas de Guadalajara, is also set to stage March's inter-confederation play-offs.
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New Caledonia will face Jamaica in the semi-final, with the winner going on to meet DR Congo for a spot at the World Cup Finals.
However, fears have grown in recent weeks about Jalisco as a host city following the discovery of more human remains in September.
Since 2022, more than 456 bags containing human remains have been recovered from areas surrounding Akron Stadium.
According to the Latin Times, José Raúl Servin García, a member of the local search collective said the latest discovery was made during construction work for a new housing development.
One of the worst-affected areas is Las Agujas, where construction workers found 290 bags.
That area is just over 20 kilometres away from Akron Stadium.
Discoveries have also been made in Zapopan, less than 10km from the ground, and Tlaquepaque, around 20km away.
Servin García said: "We are now at about 456 bags, more or less, and all of this is near Akron Stadium, which is a stadium that will host World Cup games.
"Unfortunately, it is painful that a World Cup will be held here while there is so much evil."
Search collectives have confirmed that criminal groups are linked to the bodies, with Jalisco home to one of Mexico's most powerful cartels.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which operates in the state, has been designated as a terrorist organisation by President Donald Trump.
It is widely considered to be one of Mexico's most powerful cartels and according to geopolitical analysis firm Stratfor, it is the country's "most aggressive cartel".
Earlier this year, thousands of Mexicans marched to draw attention to the more than 130,000 people that have been reported missing nationwide, most of them since then-President Felipe Calderon launched his 'war on drugs'.
Jalisco leads all Mexican states for the number of disappearances and ranks in the top four for overall crime rates.
According to Mexico's National Search Commission, 7,376 people disappeared in Jalisco between 2009 and 2018.
The situation has worsened since then, with another 9,593 disappearances reported between 2018 and 2021, making it one of the country's worst affected states.
With disappearances on the rise, questions are being raised over whether the state is adequately prepared to host World Cup matches in just over six months' time.
Authorities have announced a series of increased security measures, including 3,000 additional surveillance cameras, armoured vehicles, metal detectors and National Guard deployments.
Topics: FIFA World Cup, Football
James Taylor